Emma Elwin

Hi Emma, how are you?

“I am pretty good today – I have a few days off with my family, so we’ll be out in nature.” 

And who are you?

“I’m a creative, a mother, and a surfer. I am a concerned optimist that is trying to learn and be the best version of myself.”

When did you realize you wanted to work with fashion?

“My grandmother was a painter, and I have always been painting myself. I’ve always loved creating images. When growing up, fashion was on the rise and more accessible. Clothes are something everyone uses, a way to express your personality. I have always been a sucker for starting with nothing and then seeing it grow into something, so the design process has always been exciting.

Tell us about your home.

“We live in a building that used to be an old porcelain factory from the 1930’s, that was rebuilt into apartments, so we have these big windows, weird angels, and the place has an airiness that I love.”

Tell us about a few favorite pieces in your home.

“I love our sofa from Massproductions. This simple soft design fits perfectly with all the room’s angles – the green paint in Dylan’s room from Färgbygge and our kitchen in smoked oak from Birch & Wood. I also love the ribbon chair my husband made from an old oak table.”

What is style for you?

“I think it defines you and it’s constantly changing – something that evolves with you as you grow. I find the people whose style inspires me the most are the people with a lot of love and self-awareness.”

Can you identify the defining moments in your professional life?

“Well, quitting my job at Elle to start ‘Make it last’. It was scary, but looking back, I am so grateful that Lisa Corneliusson and I changed our lives to begin working with a different part of fashion, focusing on the future for both people and the planet.”

And how would you describe your platform?

“We founded the platform six years ago, focused on sustainable fashion and beauty. We both worked in fashion for a while, me, as a fashion editor, and Lisa as a journalist. I felt I was getting lost in the ‘trend circus’. I was questioning why I was craving these hot pink shoes, for example. It wasn’t me, I wasn’t going to wear them, and in Sweden, there’s only about a month of summer. Instead, I became interested in looking at more classic items. That’s when Lisa and I got together and started talking about what we wanted to do, as we felt a lack of relevance, and tried to find new ways to work. I started to think of fashion as a more holistic project. Obviously, we knew there was so much happening within the field of sustainable fashion. It’s really about innovation. We always get asked if there is enough to write about, and that’s not our problem. Instead, we wish there were more hours of the day to write about all the exciting developments being made from across the supply chain.

Who is ‘Make It Last’s’ reader?

“‘Make It Last’ is supposed to be for everyone, not only for people who are already in to sustainability. We want it to be an inspiring site for everyone interested in style. We want to show that a site filled with sustainable fashion can be just as relevant as any other site – if not more. I mean, it’s a considerable add-on that the people and the products we write about all contribute somehow to a better industry. We tend to use the term ‘more sustainably’ because products are very rarely 100% sustainable. We know that we can’t tick all the boxes, but we want to be the site that writes about different projects that tick some of them. We believe that doing something is better than doing nothing, and I think that to show our readers an easy way to apply a more sustainable lifestyle to their wardrobe works. It should be easy and fun.

Carefully choosing your purchases matters. I started thinking about sustainability when I got my dog Stella, because she kept licking lotion off my legs and stuff, and I would go, ‘No! Don’t do that. It’s really bad for you!’ and it made me question; ‘What am I putting on my body? If I can’t even let my dog eat it.’ Then I started thinking about what I was eating and how it is related to the climate change issue. After that, fashion felt like the next thing.”

So, what would you say about the consumer society today?

“I think we have come a long way, but we still have a long way to go. We need to change the aged structures and old habits, which is a challenge for most of us. The biggest challenge is that we need to make more significant changes on a political level like outdated laws. We as individuals have great power, and if we can inspire each other instead of pointing out what others are doing wrong, we can get even further.”

What are you most proud of?

“Creating a platform that highlights people and brands that are changing the industry.”

What are your struggles?

“I’m a privileged white person, so I can’t say that I struggle with anything. Maybe just wanting changes to happen faster, and I feel frustrated with the times we live in. As I said, I’m an optimist but a concerned one. I pray that the saying its ‘darkest, just before the dawn’, is true.”

What has motherhood brought you?

“It has brought me self-knowledge and strength. Women are amazing, and we can do anything. Motherhood gave me a much deeper love for women.” ☮